"What is this?"
The words are quiet at first, but then they are repeated louder.
"What the hell is this?"
They echo through the abalone cabin. Sea green eyes flash in the darkness. Perseus looks at himself in the mirror. There's a thin slice on his cheek from a hellhound attack, and it's not bleeding red.
It's oozing a thick, viscous gold.
Perseus- no, that is not his name yet- Percy thinks that he has never seen something more terrible in his life.
He quickly splashes water on the cut, trying to make it disappear. But now he has to know. Has he been irreversibly changed?
He draws a pen from his pocket, flicking off the cap. He takes in a deep breath, praying to every god he knows that he was hallucinating before. He lays Anaklusmos against the back of his arm and makes a cut.
It's gold.
Percy feels himself start to shake. He runs out of his cabin into the night, rushing towards the ocean.
"Father!" he yells. "Poseidon! What is this? Did you do this?"
There is no response.
"Answer me, damnit!" he screams. "After everything I've done for you, at least answer the question!"
Still, there is nothing.
Percy lets out a wail that's more desperate than angry and falls to his knees. Tears leak from his eyes. But then his sadness catalyzes into rage, and he shoots up, whistling for Blackjack.
The pegasus comes quickly, and without his usual quips. Maybe he can feel that it won't end well. They fly to the Empire state building in silence.
When they get there, Blackjack asks, Are you okay, Boss?
"I'm fine, Blackjack," Percy snaps. Then he softens. "I'm sorry. I just…" He swipes at his eyes again. "Go back to Camp, okay? I'll be back in the morning."
He doesn't know that he just lied.
He enters into the lobby and strides toward the desk. The guy sitting there is reading a book with a purple cover. Percy slams down a hand on the desk. "I want the key to the 600th floor. Please."
The guy looks up, annoyed. "There's no such thing, kid."
"I am not in the right headspace for this right now," Percy says tightly. "Give me the key and no one will get hurt."
Something in his voice or his eyes must have been threatening, because the receptionist straightens up, looking frightened. "Here's the key," he says, throwing it at Percy.
Percy takes a deep breath, trying to reign in his anger. "Thank you," he says through gritted teeth.
The ride up the elevator seems to take forever. The choice of music– Fame by Irene Cara– is mocking him.
I'm gonna live forever.
I'm gonna learn how to fly.
Percy scoffs. This person has no idea what it means to live forever.
Finally, the doors open, and he walks out onto Olympus. The beautiful artwork, the soaring arches, the open agoras, the shining temples, none of them move him at all. All he needs is to get to the throne room, become mortal again, and go back to Annabeth and his mom.
There's no one in the throne room when Percy first gets there, but he knows how to fix that. He goes to Hestia's hearth– he doesn't know this, but she's there, just silent, invisible. He pulls out his sword and reopens the cut he made before. The golden drops fall into the fire. "To the gods," he hisses bitterly.
An acidic smell rises with the smoke. Shimmers appear in the air, and the shimmers turn into gods.
"Perseus Jackson," Zeus intones, "what was that sacrifice?"
"I have a better question," he laughs. "What is this?" He lifts up his arm, and golden blood trails down his elbow. The king of the gods tracks its progress towards the floor.
"Ichor," he whispers.
"Ichor," the newly made god agrees. "Now, how in Tartarus did the blood of the gods get into my veins?"
"Because that is what you are."
The words slither through the air ominously before three old women appear in the center of the room. The air seems to leave Percy's lungs. It's not just the fact that the last time he saw these women, they were making giant socks while killing people off, all very casually. They've also just confirmed one of his worst fears.
"I'm a god," he breathes. "I'm immortal."
"Yes," Atropos says, "Our Destroyer, ascended by the worship of those around him, who's string cannot be cut." She holds up a blue-green string, obviously Perseus's. She puts her shears around it and snips, the string falling to the floor. Percy gasps, expecting to fall backwards, dying, but time seems to reverse, the cut section of string lifting off the floor and reattaching to the rest of it.
The floor of Olympus shakes as Percy processes. "Fuck," he says. "Fuck!"
He locks eyes with the Fates. "Do I have to leave? Everyone? Annabeth- I was planning to ask her- And my mom just had Estelle- I need to be there for both of them, for all of them!"
The gods ignore his impending panic attack and whisper among themselves. Poseidon waves a hand and the floor stops shaking. Percy notices and remembers he's angry at his father.
"Why didn't you answer me?" He yells. "I was asking and asking!"
Poseidon looks away, uncomfortable. "I was occupied with negotiations with Ryujin."
Percy starts laughing hysterically. "Is that Japanese? Are there Japanese gods as well?" Tears well up in his eyes as his legs give out and he falls to the floor. There have been too many world shattering revelations for his liking today.
Athena gazes at him cooly. "What are his domains?" she asks the Fates.
They cackle. "We were wondering when someone would ask."
Clotho speaks first. "God of loyalty, god of heroes."
Lachesis continues, "God of foresight, god of riptides."
Finally, Atropos finishes, "God of destruction, god of misery."
Perseus's world crumbles as his vision blurs with tears. God of misery and destruction? He remembers two things vividly: the sadistic joy he felt while killing the goddess of misery with her own poison, and the rush of power he felt erupting Mount Saint Helens. Maybe it's fitting that he got these domains.
He should have died in that mountain. He should have died in the gods' junkyard. Hades, he should have never been born.
Maybe that would stop the pain of ascension.
Perseus never wanted to be a god. But the gold blood in his veins can mean only one thing.
Percy dies that day.
All hail Lord Perseus.